Page 139 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

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Ethics and morals

Taoist ethical thinking developed on the basis of ancient Chinese thought and
in conjunction with Buddhism. Its key tenets, which existed by the fifth century,
developed in three phases. The first of these is the ancient indigenous view
that prevailed from the Zhou through the Han. It focused on the notion of
reciprocity (shu ?IB.) both within society and in a broader, supernatural context.
If people harmed other beings or natural forces, their deeds were believed to
be judged by a celestial administration and to return to cause them suffering.
While this placed the responsibility for one's good or bad fortune squarely
on one's own actions, there was also the simultaneous belief that people had
certain inborn qualities or a "destiny" (ming $) that would direct their lives and
the deeds they committed. Human life in ancient China was thus understood
as unfolding through a combination of self-induced good and bad fortune and
the inborn character or fate one received from Heaven at birth.
This already complex understanding was later expanded by the early Taoists
to include three further factors. The first was the belief that fate could be in-
herited from one's ancestors, expressed especially in the *Taipingjing (Scripture
of Great Peace) in the notion of *chengfu or "inherited burden." The second
was the idea that the celestial administration had supervisory and punishing
agents who dwelled deep within the human body. In particular, these were
represented by the "three corpses" (sans hi; see *sanshi andjiuchong) described
first in the *Baopu zi, entities who worked hard toward the destruction of the
human body, and reported to and acted upon orders from the celestial authori-
ties. The third factor was the attachment of numerical values to good and bad
deeds, a theory outlined especially in the Chisong zi zhong jiejing w.;f'~.:r r:p ~
~~ (Central Scripture on Precepts by Master Red-Pine; CT 185), which would
result in specific adjustment of the length of a person's life span. All three of
these factors served to clarify the individual's position in the universe, both
within a supernatural family network and through closer interaction with the
cosmic bureaucrats; fate thus became more calculable as deeds and days were
COunted with greater exactness.
Buddhist influence. Buddhism was the key factor of the third phase of Taoist
ethical development. Although vaguely present and exerting some influence
from the second century onward, its notions of karma and rebirth became
an active factor in the Chinese understanding of fate only after major waves
of scriptural translation in both north and south China around the year 400
brought access to a better understanding of Buddhist doctrine. At that time
four new factors entered the system: (1) the belief in rebirth and the retribution